1. In what way does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Short films contain some of the most inventive and unconventional work to be found in film making. However, there are some common features that stand out from others and portray the style of film. Using Art of the Title 's 9 frame format, I have included 9 frames from my short film that illustrate signature scenes and features.
(From left to right) the first frame is a perfect example of how we have portrayed key props in our film through mise en scene. We used a close-up shot to identify the photo frame and become familiar with the characters in the photograph. As opposed to filming a medium shot where the audience look beyond the characters featured. We want our audience to raise questions such as who are these characters? By placing the Polaroid next to the photograph it may express characteristics of our main character to give a sense of their personality. The center frame on the far right also embraces a similar use of props alongside the portrayal of props that the character may use in her every day life, that also creates social realism.
An existing media product that I have previously reviewed called 'Lucky 13: PJ, Tiny Planet Explorer' uses a similar scene to reveal main props throughout the film. Although, it singles out each prop dominantly rather than complimenting each other. I feel our title sequence compliments our short film successfully, from the choice of font with retrospective detail to relate to the retro use of prop. I have reviewed a number of shorts where I have identified eccentric title sequences that have inspired the style of our final outcome.
For example, 'The Wrong Change' title sequence incorporates a predictable prop of money being held by someone that goes on to reveal it is the films main character. I think it works as it suggests the prop is a response to the title. And it also uses a nice shallow of depth of field to focus on the title and prop.
In my short films 9 frame format I have included a few shots from the calender scene which exposes evidence of who the boy in the photograph's is. A particular favourite shot of mine from this scene is where we filmed an over-the-shoulder shot of our main character gazing into the calender. She is hiding the date current in the film, which is revealed in a following shot (centre frame) and indicated well by the previous dates being marked off. We used a focus pull in this shot to draw our audience in more, evaluating the event written down.
I have included more than a few screen grabs from scenes that indulge in the Polaroids as this is the main aspect throughout our film. I think we achieved a really good shot of the top centre image where the edge of the Polaroid slightly appears in the bottom of the frame as if we are from its point of view, and to also reveal her reaction. Two frames down reveals the graveyard scene that consists of the Polaroid imagery shot in the scenes location. I have pointed this shot out specifically as it portrays key themes of my film and similarities of the props and location. We recorded this scene from a number of different angles and shot types and felt using an over-the-shoulder shot from a low-high angle received the best view for recognising the key similarities and films narrative.
Considering narrative in mind, our short film is an example of Todorov's theory: Brother and sister live happily together in a family until her life is disrupted by his tragic death. She can't except this and struggles to come to terms with it, until a year later on the significant day where she is drawn to visit his memorial of death and finally accepts the situation, and her life returns to normality. This is a circular narrative. Our film plot takes part of this story and is similarly linear and chronological - referring to the significant day.
Referring back to the Virgin media's award winning short, 'Lucky 13: PJ, Tiny Planet Explorer', I can identify it also used a circular narrative in a linear arrangement. He plans on moving to the universe, eventually finding a planet to settle on. He plans his trip and packs his essentials, then when it comes to settling down on his chosen planet, it was ruined by his lack of preparation, which brought him back home.
As a class and independently we have been studying British film posters to understand the conventions. A film poster's primary role is to advertise a film. Such conventions that are common in film poster's are:
- Images
- Eye catching titles
- BBFC certification
- Cultural references
- Release date
- List of actors
- Tagline
- Awards
- Credit/Production/Billing block
- Website
- Critics praise
I am aware that the names of actors usually appear, either prominently or understated. Images of the actors vary depending on the stylization of the film, but they are always featured in character to represent the film. It is a common convention of a film poster to use characters as the main image, otherwise they are placed over a background or setting that reflects the film. Or the image can be cropped.
Also, the main text is either kept away from the main image or placed over the setting and background. Often there is a relation between upper case and lower case text, ledding may be used. It is essential to assure there is a symmetrical distance between conventions when considering where they are placed on the poster.
I think it was vital to include at least one of the Polaroid images within a final poster design so I have a large format of the one with the boy with his back to us in the centre of the graveyard as it creates more suspicion as to who the character is. Alone with the background image it didn't look enough so after experimenting with our other Polaroid imagery I decided to use the follow on image in the same location just without the boy in it. Combining these two similar images compliment each other and gives the audience a taster of the disappearance of the boy. Rather than just using the original images before we edited them into the style of a Polaroid, I think using the significant white boarder creates a dynamic response to justify the Polaroid being our main subject matter in our film. I have taken the white boarder for granted by placing companies logos and our own production companies design on top as they emerge nicely in as opposed to creating a dominant white block for them somewhere else amongst the poster.
Review
After studying Little White Lies film reviews we have come to recognise particular conventions that they interpret in every review they produce.
1. Layout
Enjoyment from the reviewer who comes outside of the film to directly address the audience.
- Compares characteristics,
- Reference to actor,
- Background information,
- Literacy context,
- Casting,
- Key conventions,
- Directors achievements/intentions,
- Protagonist traits,
- Key scenes,
- Unique elements of film,
- Plot description,
- Title link,
- Compared to Hollywood styles,
- Negative aspects,
- Inter textual references,
- Evaluative of character/s,
- Standard genre comparison,
- Always critical in the end!
2. How effective is the combination of your main product and your ancillary tasks?
3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?
It is essential that the audience feedback we receive is coming from representatives of our films target audience being a similar age to our main character. I have made sure I am getting back feedback from both male and female representatives to receive balanced evidence.
From the feedback I have received, I have learned that it was not clear enough for my audience to acknowledge the relation between the young boy in the photo frames indoors with the older boy appearing in the Polaroids outdoors. To overcome this error we have used more than one scene with photographs of children, then added an additional scene oh her comparing a Polaroid to the location she is in using a close-up shot type.
4. How did you use new media technologies in the construction, and research, planning and evaluation stages?
